| 摘要 |
An apparatus for carrying out the separation, detection, and/or counting of single molecules at nanometer scale. Molecular separation is achieved by driving single molecules through a microfluidic or nanofluidic medium using programmable and coordinated electric fields. In various embodiments, the fluidic medium is a strip of hydrophilic material on nonconductive hydrophobic surface, a trough produced by parallel strips of hydrophobic nonconductive material on a hydrophilic base, or a covered passageway produced by parallel strips of hydrophobic nonconductive material on a hydrophilic base together with a nonconductive cover on the parallel strips of hydrophobic nonconductive material. The molecules are detected and counted using combinations of nanoelectrode-gated tip-to-tip electron tunneling conductance measurements, nanoelectrode-gated tip-to-tip electron tunneling spectroscopic measurements, nanoelectrode-gated dielectric molecular detection, and/or high-resolution atomic force microscopic (AFM) probing and high-resolution electrostatic force microscopic (EFM) probing.
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